FARMERS in Cos Carlow, Wicklow and Longford are getting more in transfers from the EU than other counties, according to a study of payments.
Mr Tony Leavy, who works for Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, found that Carlow farmers receive £181.50p per hectare (2.4711 acres) in transfers, followed by Wicklow (£178.40p) and Longford (£176.70p).
Mr Leavy said in the current edition of Today's Farm magazine that all three were in Leinster and only one, Longford, was in an area which was classified for the last 10 years as being disadvantaged.
His study found that the lowest per hectare payments were made in Limerick (£89.20p), Cork (£1 19.10p) and Waterford (£126.90), which were in the dairying areas of Munster.
However, when Mr Leavy compared the 11 western counties with the rest of the State, the aggregate figure showed payments averaging £152 were made in the west and £139 in the rest of the State.
Mr Leavy concluded that the method of targeting transfer payments through cattle, sheep and cereals ensured that areas which farmed these enterprises intensively get a disproportionate share of the payments.
He also found that disadvantaged area payments, targeted at areas of relative poverty, have some effect in channelling transfer payments to these areas.
He also concluded that transfer payments, which he described as "cheque in the post payments", were more numerous in disadvantaged areas but the difference between the payments to those living in disadvantaged and non disadvantaged areas was marginal.